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Google Faces U.S. Government Antitrust Lawsuit

Charlotte Henry ·

The U.S. government on Tuesday filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, Reuters reported. It alleges that the search giant used its market power to repel advances by rivals.

More lawsuits could be in the offing since probes by state attorneys general into Google’s broader businesses are under way, as well as an investigation of its broader digital advertising businesses. A group of attorneys general led by Texas is expected to file a separate lawsuit focused on digital advertising as soon as November, while a group led by Colorado is contemplating a more expansive lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit comes more than a year after the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission began antitrust investigations into four big tech companies: Amazon.com Inc , Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Google. Seven years ago, the FTC settled an antitrust probe into Google over alleged bias in its search function to favor its products, among other issues. The settlement came over the objections of some FTC staff attorneys. Google has faced similar legal challenges overseas.

Podcast

Paleoanthropologist Dr. John Hawks - BGM Interview

John Martellaro · · 1 Comment

Dr. John Hawks is a Distinguished Achievement Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, associate chair, and undergraduate advisor. He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1999. His interests include Biological anthropology, Paleoanthropology, and Anthropological genomics.

John took us through the evolution of humans from a cultural and genetic viewpoint, starting about 3 milion years ago. In recent years there’s been an explosion in the fossil history of our ancestors that has greatly improved our understanding of Homo Sapiens. We spent some time covering the newest thinking about Neanderthals, including how Homo Sapiens interacted with them starting 100,000 years ago in Europe — and the mysterious disappearance of the Neanderthals. John provides fascinating details of our human evolution. Don’t miss this one!

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iPhone 12 Preorders Beat Its Predecessor, Says Ming-Chi Kuo

Charlotte Henry ·

iPhone 12 pre-orders in the first 24-hours of availability surpassed those for the iPhone 11 in the same time period. That’s according to a note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, seen by CNBC.

In a research note Monday, Kuo reported that Apple sold up to 2 million iPhone 12 units in the first 24 hours, up from 800,000 units of the iPhone 11. But for the full weekend of preorders, which ended Sunday, Kuo predicted Apple would sell up to 9 million iPhone 12 units, down from the iPhone 11′s 12 million for the same period. The iPhone 12 Pro sold better than expected thanks to strong demand in China, Kuo said

Amazon Offers Great Deals on 2020 MacBook Air
Cool Stuff Found

Amazon Offers Great Deals on 2020 MacBook Air

Jeff Butts ·

If you’ve been holding off on buying a new 2020 MacBook Air, it’s time to make your move. Right now, Amazon offers great deals on the lightweight laptops with digital coupons worth up to $100. You can purchase a 256GB MacBook Air for $849.99, down from its retail list price of $999.99. Amazon lists it at $949.99, plus you get a $100 digital coupon at checkout. Even better, the 512GB MacBook Air can be yours for $1,149.99. This is marked down from the usual $1299 price tag and also uses a digital coupon.

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Is Apple’s iPhone 12 Decision Really Better for the Environment?

Andrew Orr ·

Imad Khan writes how switching to a USB-C port would be more environmental than Apple’s decision not to include a charger in the box.

And let’s not forget that Apple will still need to ship tiny Type-C power adapters across the world to accommodate the new cable included with the iPhone 12. While these new adapters will have a long shelf life, it will cut back on the emissions savings that Apple so proudly publicizes.

This is the part I agree with. What are the environmental logistics of shipping multiple lighter packages versus one heavier one?

Podcast

Widgets, Wi-Fi, and Big Sur — Mac Geek Gab 839

John F. Braun & Dave Hamilton · · Add Comment

The fall is a crazy ride for Apple users. New hardware, new software, lots of changes, and more. John and Dave are right there with you to answer your questions, share tips, and dissect the new technology to help us all understand everything better. Listen this week as your two favorite geeks answer some Wi-Fi questions, share Cool Stuff Found, and revisit Big Sur as it surely gets closer to release time. Press play and enjoy learning five new things!

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How Homeland Security Caught Suspect in R. Kelly Case

Andrew Orr ·

A recently revealed warrant in the R. Kelly case revealed how U.S. Homeland Security used a Google search warrant.

Homeland Security special agent Sylvette Reynoso testified that her team began by asking Google to produce a list of public IP addresses used to google the home of the victim in the run-up to the arson. The Chocolate Factory complied with the warrant, and gave the investigators the list.

As we discussed on Security Friday today, it’s cool that law enforcement was able to do this, yet simultaneously scary since it involved a dragnet of Google users.

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How Apple Added LiDAR to iPhone 12 models

Andrew Orr ·

Timothy B. Lee wrote a fascinating write-up of the iPhone 12 LiDAR sensor for Ars Technica. It’s a technology that used to be US$75,000.

Two of the companies working on high-end VCSEL-based lidar—Ouster and Ibeo—have already gotten more traction than most companies in the crowded lidar business. Apple’s decision to adopt the technology—and the possibility that other smartphone vendors could follow Apple’s lead—will provide them with a nice tailwind in the coming years.

A great explainer, and I wrote about the other iPhone 12 camera features here.